- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
IM. Intelligence in Motion
To be honest, it is difficult to keep track of all the Chinese companies, but this one definitely deserves your attention. Meet Zhiji Auto: the company was founded by SAIC (it already owns many brands, including Roewe, MG, Maxus, etc.), the Internet giant Alibaba, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and the leaders of the Pudong District in Shanghai. The goal is to create expensive and perfect electric vehicles that can compete on equal terms with Tesla. They will be sold under the brand name IM, whose name stands for Intelligence in Motion.
First steps
The IM brand was created in December 2020, as a response to the boom of electric vehicles despite the COVID. IM Motors presented three of its projects at the 2021 Auto Shanghai Motor Show. The first is the concept car of the L7 electric E-segment car, the second is the LS7 mid-size SUV, the third is the 4-door Airo, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the world-famous British designer and founder of the London-based Heatherwick Studio.
The Airo is an eye-catching vehicle that resembles a capsule and has a HEPA filter that collects toxic gases emitted by nearby conventional fuel cars. The car has sliding glass doors on both sides and swivel seats, making it look like a living room. Luckily, the model features the steering wheel and controls. Thomas Heatherwick described his creation as ‘a multifunctional room with extra space for dining, working, playing or even sleeping’. And the maestro’s website indicates that the production of the capsule car is scheduled for 2023.
Model range
At the end of 2022, the brand can offer two production cars: a large sedan and a mid-size SUV, as such models enjoy particular popularity in China. In the future, the manufacturer’s model range will grow rapidly. For example, an analogue of the popular Tesla Model 3 and a bunch of SUVs of all sizes will appear.
IM L7 sedan
The IM sedan has been on sale since the summer of 2021. The model is extremely popular among the Chinese, despite the fact that the initial cost is around 51-56 thousand dollars, the Snake Performance Lite sports version costs 66 thousand dollars, and the top version costs 80 thousand dollars. The car is a large, Tesla-inspired Model S, 5 meters long and 1,960 mm wide. The headlights are matrix, consisting of 5,000 LEDs, which flexibly change the shape of the light beam and show the navigation tips for the driver on the roadway. The doors are electrically operated, while the mirrors have been replaced with cameras. The car offers a second-level autopilot and a fully controlled chassis with adaptive suspension, which was developed with the participation of specialists from the British bureau, Williams Advanced Engineering.
The entry-level IM L7 is equipped with two electric motors (578 hp and 725 Nm) and all-wheel drive. The sedan accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.87 seconds. A battery with a capacity of 93 kWh promises to provide 615 km, however, according to the CLTC cycle, according to which all batteries are powerful. In November 2022, a sports version with the loud name Snake Performance was released. There are two versions: the basic Lite with powerful electric motors (605 hp, 730 Nm), a steering wheel instead of a conventional steering wheel, suede seats and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. The Snake Performance received a modified chassis and new adjustments to the driving electronics.
IM LS7 SUV
The second vehicle is simpler, but also belongs to the luxury sector. The IM LS7 is a stylish electric SUV introduced at the end of 2022. Its cost in China varies from 50 to 72 thousand dollars, while the sales will start in March 2023. The design of the large, 5-meter vehicle seems to have been copied from the Aston Martin DBX (they have a lot in common). The headlights are LED, comprising a radar and two lidars that provide the second level autopilot, but upcoming software updates will update the autopilot to the third level.
The interior features unusual solutions, such as hiding screens (all three can be retracted into the front panel), a transforming seat for the rear right passenger. There are two versions of the IM LS7 2023. A more powerful 2-motor version came out first. The entry-level version comes with a single 340 hp electric motor, located on the rear axle. The top-end version is equipped with two electric motors with a total capacity of 578 hp and all-wheel drive. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h occurs in 4.5 seconds. Air suspension with electronically controlled dampers is standard. There are two traction battery options with a capacity of 90 or 100 kWh. The maximum driving range of 660 km within the CLTC cycle is provided by a rear-wheel drive modification with a 100 kWh battery. The SUV’s maximum speed is 200 km/h.
